One of my goals as I entered this training program was to re-discover the joys of running that I knew as a child. On the eve of my first race as an adult, I like to think I've accomplished that and a whole lot more. While I'm not as fast as I was as a kid, I think I'm prepared to turn in a respectable time and I'm really looking forward to seeing where my results are in comparison to others in the race.

As a kid, I believed the hype and thought that to be fast, I had to buy the shoe that looked the fastest. My parents recently shared with me that I would often try to persuade them in purchasing a shoe for me using this logic. Well...that theory certainly went by the wayside as I got older. Only to be replaced with a theory in my teenage years as I bought into the hype that a certain energy drink would give me wings. Using that product was like the Wright Brothers in the early stages of their work... It certainly got me going, but the crash from the sugar high came quickly and rather abruptly.

So now, I've bought into the hype that is the Who Wants To Get Active training program. And I've seen the results that training can bring. I've lost 30 lbs. since the first of January. I've increased my mile time by a minute and a half. And I have thoroughly embraced running to the point where I'm beginning to wonder if what I'm feeling is what they call a runner's high. Just this last week, I started working as a part-time sales associate for a local running specialty store! While the learning curve with the new job is intense as I am beginning to comprehend the technology behind the products, this position and my participation in this program has allowed me to meet and surround myself with an incredible group of people with the same dedication and love for running.

But I truly realized that I have re-discovered the joys of running that I knew as a child, while I was doing some spring cleaning. Going through an old box that I picked up from my parents, I saw what I thought was just a ratty- old headband. As a child of the 80s, I made a lot of fashion statements with those sweaty headbands. But this one in particular... it was special. Because this one...came with my own set of wings! This was a headband that I wore a lot as a kid, and it's an awesome reminder that what I'm doing is helping me find that joy and freedom of running I felt many times as a kid. I've brought along this special headband for tomorrow's race, but I'm not sure the world is ready for a 31-year-old sporting a child's headband with wings!

So all along... I didn't need the fastest looking shoe. I didn't need the latest energy drink. I just needed a little push with my training, and now with my new (old) wings, I'm ready to fly around the course tomorrow! So thank you to Coach Jenny, the folks at Active.com, and my fellow participants for the motivation I needed to get me going on this incredible journey.